Busily sculpting her amazing dragon!

For Week 5 of this fellowship, the teenagers came back to the museum for one more session of in depth workshops, learning new art techniques, and lots of fun!   For this round of workshops, we hosted teachers who taught “The Art of Fashion,” “Sew Fun: Pajamas,” “Fantastic Figures,” and “Fantastic Places: Sculpted Spaces.”  Throughout the week, sewing machines were whirring, fabric was flying, polymer clay was sculpted, molded, pinched, and folded, paints of all colors were deployed, and foam was shaved and carved into mountains, caves, beaches, and fields.  The teens in the “Fantastic Figures” and “Fantastic Places: Sculpted Spaces” had AMAZING imaginations – they created unique and fanciful creatures and then made intricate worlds for them to live in.  Look at these creations!

An elegant elephant and its circus tent

This intricate habitat had all sorts of little accessories, like food dishes and toys, for the panda fairy creature who lives here

Showing off their handmade PJs and sewing projects

It was so great to see these campers really stretch themselves and see their imaginations in full swing.  It is such a great reminder of why I decided to make the arts my career-field, and reminds me why I went back to school.  Like any schooling, sometimes grad school is just killer, and I ask myself why I am putting myself through this torture. “Is it really going to make any difference?” I ask myself.  “Why did I give up a full-time job for this madness?” But watching these campers dive into their passions, try new things, and flex their creative muscles helps me remember my end goal of grad school: to have a meaningful career in a field and a place I that I truly feel strongly about, and to have my work make a difference in the lives of those with whom I interact. I’m so glad I am getting that reminder through this summer fellowship before I start my last year of school in the fall – it’s a big help and a great refresher to be around people, both at the Ohio Craft Museum and the Columbus Foundation, who love what they do and encourage others to live their passions as well.